Housing protest groups across Bradford have welcomed a new report showing that the Government’s planning reforms are not working.

Today the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) released analysis of the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework, introduced exactly a year ago.

The group said it was “deeply disturbing” that 20 major housing schemes across England had been allowed, despite either being refused by the local authority or not being in line with local plans. It pointed to less local control and more greenfield development, with valuable countryside being lost.

The CPRE report said over half of Councils did not have up-to-date adopted local plans in place, meaning they were coming under increased pressure to approve applications in line with national guidelines rather than local policies.

The damning new report comes just days after a “David and Goliath” battle in the Bradford district ended with bitter disappointment for villagers who failed in their bid to stop 82 new homes being built at Crack Lane, Wilsden, despite 672 objections from villagers, Wilsden Parish Council and Shipley MP Philip Davies (Con).

Bradford Council is also to look again at two controversial housing plans for more than 300 new homes in Menston at Bingley Road and Derry Hill.

The Government reforms were introduced as an attempt to streamline planning policy to simplify more than 1,000 pages of planning regulations into around 50 pages, which the Government said was needed to speed up the planning system and promote growth.

But CPRE chief executive Shaun Spiers said: “We have closely observed how the framework is being implemented on the ground and what we have seen is deeply disturbing.

“Despite the rhetoric of localism, it now seems that local communities are increasingly powerless to prevent damaging development even in the most sensitive locations.”

The report by CPRE echoes many of the concerns raised in the Telegraph & Argus’s long-running Save Our Green Spaces campaign which highlights the growing problem of house developers increasingly trying to build on the district’s green spaces. Crack Lane campaigner David Sampson said: “I would certainly share the views of Shaun Spiers having been involved with the campaign to save Crack Lane Fields in Wilsden. If this development can be granted given the extent of local opposition and uncertainty surrounding the site, then you have to worry for everybody in a similar situation.”

Green space campaigner Elizabeth Hellmich, the manager of the Bradford-based Safe project, said she totally agreed with the report.

“The planning rules are changing to suit whatever way the wind is blowing,” she said. “The district is becoming like a polo mint with developments moving out and out into greenfield sites because it is cheaper to build there. They are still not taking on board we have to have schools and the current schools are at bursting point.”

Terry Brown, of the Greenhill Action Group, fighting to save a greenfield Bingley site from re-development, said he agreed some plans were politically motivated. Developers won a High Court appeal to get the case, regarding Sty Lane for up to 440 homes, referred back to central Government and a decision is expected on April 25.

Mr Brown said: “It is difficult because we are sitting on the sidelines to find out what is going to happen regarding Sty Lane. It seems to be more about political decisions being made than we would like to see. They seem to be overriding any local concerns partly on the basis of political thought, rather than the need for housing.”

Councillor Malcolm Sykes (Con, Thornton and Allerton), who has been battling ongoing plans for 292 homes on the Pitty Beck greenfield site off Allerton Lane, said: “Wherever there are sites available that already have planning permission, or a brownfield site, there is no need to build on a greenfield site,” he said. “But developers don’t want to sell houses in the city or on brownfield sites surrounded by mills.”

Keighley MP Kris Hopkins (Con), said: “I have argued for the protection of green belt since I first entered politics, and will continue to do so forcibly.

“The framework gives local authorities responsibility to assess local housing need on an objective basis and then determine where development should and should not go by allocating five year supply of sites ready for development.”

A Communities Department spokes-man said: “The framework is clear that very strong protections are in place to safeguard the green belt and protect other areas, such as areas of outstanding natural beauty, and that local plans are at the heart of the planning system.

“There have been more than 2,300 major residential decisions made through the planning system since the introduction of the framework and to focus on just tens of cases and claim they are in some way representative is not credible. New rights ensure communities have a bigger say on development than ever before through neighbourhood and local plans, and councils should focus on getting up-to-date locally-decided plans in place.”